At
Wrightslaw, our goals are to help you gain the information and skills
you need to navigate the confusing world of special education.

Highlights:
How
to request a one-to-one aide; lesson about related services; Wrightslaw:
No Child Left Behind ships; photos; IDEA reauthorization
update, December 2003; due process hearings and the lighter side
of special ed; free Wrightslaw
advocacy program in OK; winter schedule includes programs in FL,
MO, IL, IN, MI, and NH.

1.
How
to Request a One-to-One Aide for Your Child by Wayne Steedman, Esq.

When
parents request "one-to-one aides" for their children
with disabilities, they are often frustrated by the school district's
response. Even when the district agrees to their request, parents
may be dissatisfied with the results.

Parents
need to know what they want for their child, how to get it, and
the outcomes they expect.

In How
to Request a One-to-One Aide for Your Child, parent attorney
Wayne Steedman provides advice about aides and a game plan that
includes evaluations and observations of the child. Learn why
"it is never safe to assume" and why you should "be
careful about what you wish for."

Note
from Wrightslaw:
No Child Left Behind includes new requirements about the education,
training and duties of paraprofessionals. At the end of this article
is an overview of these requirements from our new book, Wrightslaw:
No Child Left Behind.

Related
services is the term for those services a disabled child needs
in order to benefit from special education. Related services include
speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and rehabilitation
counseling. (Wrightslaw:
Special Education Law, page 29) Compare this term
to "supplementary aids and services" (Wrightslaw:
Special Education Law, pages 30-31).

What are related services? Who is eligible? How do you know what
related services a child needs? Do parents have to pay for related
services? Who provides related services? How are these services
delivered and coordinated? Funded? For answers to these questions,
read FAQs:
Related Services.

Related
Services: A Closer Look
is a comprehensive article that describes all related services
available under the IDEA; includes resources, references, links
to organizations.

If you forgot to order or decided
to wait until the NCLB book was available, you can order now.
Orders placed by 3 pm are usually shipped the same day. Place
an online
order. Order by fax,
phone or mail.

Packing and shipping 2,000 books was a huge undertaking. These
photos will give you an idea of how we tackled the job.
We thank our creative, resourceful staff, who make Wrightslaw a warm and wonderful place.

Save 50-60%
with the Advocacy Challenge Discount
Our publisher offers a 50%-60% bulk discount for individuals and
groups that purchase boxes of Wrightslaw books. Groups and organizations
purchase books for their members and clients. Others use the books
for training and conferences.

We
have received several emails from subscribers who asked about the
status of IDEA reauthorization. Good question! Read IDEA
Update: December 2003.

5.
Due Process Hearings: The Lighter Side of Special Education by Aimee
Gilman

"A
good education is the next best thing to a pushy mother."
- Charles Schulz, cartoonist

"I love filing requests for hearing because they invariably
produce the same response every time - that is, the district is
befuddled."

"'We
are befuddled,'is the constant rejoinder of the district's attorney
when he contacts me."

"'Just
because this child is 15 and reads at a 1st grade level and has
never received any tutoring of any kind, we are befuddled and
yes, hurt. What has happened to the trust we have worked so hard
to forge?'"

If
you are interested in learning how to get Pete & Pam Wright
to your community, please read our FAQs
about Seminars.

7.
Subscription & Contact Info

The
Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about
special education legal and advocacy issues, cases, and tactics
and strategies. Subscribers receive "alerts" about new
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